Conductor bar splice and method of making the same



Feb. 9, 1965 c. F. LAMB 3,

CONDUCTOR BAR SPLICE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 25, 1962 FIG. 3

FIG. 4

PRIOR ARTif K32 1 H I L I n INVENTOR.

3V CHARLES F. LAMB FIG. 5 BY AT TORNE Y United States Patent Ofiiice 3,169,031 PatentedFeb. 9, 1965 3,169,031 CONDUCTOR BAR SPLICE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Charles F. Lamb, Cleveland, N .C., assignor to Grinnell Corporation, Providence, R.I., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 25, 1962, Ser. No. 204,873

3 Claims. (Cl. 287-2) This invention relates to a conductor rod joint and more particularly to the joint structure and method of making the same for channel shaped electrical conductor members on overhead tracks.

In textile mills it has been found advantageous to utilize moving air blowers of a particular design to'maintain certain of the textile machinery in a relatively lint-free condition. In most cases, these cleaners are mounted to travel on a continuous loop of overhead track. The cleaners are preferably electrically powered and must pick up this power in some manner. One prior Well-known method of tapping power is from a trolley wire set adjacent to the track. Another manner of providing power is by the use of rigid conductor members fastened to the track itself. This latter arrangement is the one with which the present invention is concerned.

The operation of the cleaning device is simply obtained by having brushes engage the conductor members throughout the travel of the cleaner. It has been found most convenient to utilize conductor bars in place of trolley wires because of the advantages obtained when going around a curve. Heretofore one of the major problems arising from the use of such conductor bars has been the manner with which sections of these bars are fastened together longitudinally. It is necessary that the joint not only be firmly fastened but that it have good conductivity characteristics. One prevalent prior art fastening utilized two wedge shaped members which were driven together within the channel'opening. Subsequent experience has shown that this particular fastening has not been satisfactory because constant vibration of the cleaner passing on the overhead track set up vibrations in the conductor bar which loosened the wedge members and eventually caused electrical arcing, and finally, separation of the.

joint. V

The present invention meets the above recited needs and problems and in addition provides a joint which is more easily assembled in the course of constructing the entire cleaning installation. This is accomplished by uti lizing a single insert member which is a flattened. tube of 1 a somewhat egg-shaped cross-sectionalconfiguration slighttube may beformed from hollow circular tubing. {The use of such an insert not only increases the strength of the joint structurally, but has been found to give a joint which even afterlextensive use has better electric conductive properties than the prior double wedge joint construction.

A betterunderstanding of this invention will become; apparent from a perusal of the following description and the accompanying drawing in which: 1 7

FIGURE l is an elevational'view of a cleaner assembly showing a portion of track havingconduct or bars fasten d thereto and a symbolic .ly wider than the channel interior portion. The flattened showing a transitional stage in the construction of this novel joint.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the finished joint taken along line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of a prior art construction showing double wedge-shaped members utilized in fastening the rod member end to end.

Referring now in greater particularity to the drawings, the numeral 10 denotes a cleaner assembly mounted on a rail 11. Fastened to the side of therail are bar conductors 12 which are mounted on insulating members 14 in such a manner that the motors on the cleaning device 10 may pick up their electricity through brushes which are not s own.

In FIG. 2, a portion of the entire bar conductor is' .channel member between the legs 20 and 21 so that the side walls of the flattened tube 24 frictionally engage the two bars to be joined. The length of this tubing will depend on the voltage to be carried by the bars, the expected intensity of the vibration set up bythe moving cleaner, and the size of the bars. It is normally preferred thatthe flattened tubing have a slight taper to facilitate insertion between the legs 20 and 21 of the bars. However, this requirement is not mandatory. Insertion is usually accomplished by using a pair of wide jaw pliers or a hand vise having wide jaws such as shown in FIG. 4 at 26.

It will be seen that this joint is. much easier to assem ble than the prior art form shown in FIG. 5 which requires that two wedges beforcibly engaged in the same longitudi nal direction as the bars. These wedges shown at 30 and 31 because of the large surface'engagement often resist longitudinal movement so as to prevent a firm joint being 2 formed betweenthe bar members shown here at 32 and tion, what I claim as new and seek to secure by Letters Patent; is;

l. A splice for connecting the abutting ends of two similar conductor bars, each of said bars having two parallelextending flanges and a web perpendicular to and connecting said flanges, comprising a splice member having I ahollow tubular shape with a cross-sectional configuration of substantially elliptical shape including flattened.

wall portion and extending longitudinally between the two parallel flanges of one of said bars and extending longitudinally between the parallel flanges of the abutting bar, a portion of the flattened walls of said member being in intimate retaining contact with the interior faces of the flanges of both bars for substantially the entire length of said member. I.

2. A'splice for connecting the abutting ends of two similarconductor bars, each ofsaid bars having two parallel extending flanges and a web perpendicular to and connecting said flanges comprising a splice member having a uniform hollow tubular shape with a cross-sectional configuration of substantially elliptical shape includingi'fiattened wallaportions and extending longitudinally between v the two parallel flanges of one'iofsaid bars andextending longitudinally for substantially an equal distance between the two parallelilanges of thefabutting bar, a portionof the flattened walls of said member being in intimate retaining contact with the interior faces of the flanges of both bars for substantially the entire length of said memher.

3. A splice according to the recitation of claim 2 wherein the substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape of the splice member is slightly smaller in width at the interior of the conductor bars adjacent the web than the width of the member at the outer extremity of the flanges.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Pixley Mar. 10, 1903 Van Deventer Oct. 31, 1944 Kaufmann Mar. 15, 1949 Gleitz Oct. 14, 1958 Hollaender Sept. 19, 1961 Selby Oct. 17, 1961 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3,169,031 February 9, 1965 Charles Pu Lamb It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 50, for "portion" read portions Signed and sealed this 13th day of July 1965 (SEAL). Auest:

ERNEST W. O SWIDER' EDWARD J. BRENNER F Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,169, 031 February 9 1965 Charles F., Lamb It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 50, for "portion" read portions Signed and sealed this 13th day of July 1965.

(SEAL). Atlest:

ERNEST w. 'SWIDER' EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents 

1. A SPLICE FOR CONNECTING THE ABUTTING ENDS OF TWO SIMILAR CONDUCTOR BARS, EACH OF SAID BARS HAVING TWO PARALLEL EXTENDING FLANGES AND A WEB PERPENDICULAR TO AND CONNECTING SAID FLANGES, COMPRISING A SPLICE MEMBER HAVING A HOLLOW TUBULAR SHAPE WITH A CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION OF SUBSTANTIALLY ELLIPTICAL SHAPE INCLUDING FLATTENED WALL PORTION AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN THE TWO PARALLEL FLANGES OF ONE OF SAID BARS AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN THE PARALLEL FLANGES OF THE ABUTTING BAR, A PORTION OF THE FLATTENED WALLS OF SAID MEMBER BEING IN INTIMATE RETAINING CONTACT WITH THE INTERIOR FACES OF THE FLANGES OF BOTH BARS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID MEMBER. 